Have you been Zapd yet?

One of my favorite new apps is one that allows you to create a completely mobile optimized website from your iPhone in literally seconds.

Zapd (a new service from Seattle-based Pressplane) is a free app and is available from the Apple App store. Snap some photos, pick a theme, add a little text and then voila! Your site is done. Zapd reminds me a lot of Posterous and Tumblr, but the biggest difference is that you can create the entire site from your iPhone. Once a site is published you can share it directly to Twitter or Facebook or via email. Every website created with Zapd is optimized for smartphones and tablets.

I’ve been chatting with Pressplane CEO and founder Kelly Smith for a few weeks now about this new application and personally, I think Zapd is an awesome application for real estate agents.

Here are some ideas on how to use real estate agents could use Zapd:

1. Property websites
2. Neighborhood websites (photos of types of homes, schools, parks, restaurants)
3. Buyers tour (i.e. “10 great homes to check out” – great if you are previewing a number of homes for a client)
4. Landscaping ideas
5. Home improvement ideas
6. Before and After (for staging)
7. Educational events and conferences (a quick and easy way to share photos)

Here are some examples of real estate professionals and Zapd sites they have created on the fly:

• 28490 Florence, Garden City, MI
• Real Estate with Allisa D. Young
• Park Avenue Properties

Here is a video from Zapd that explains how quick and easy it is to use:

What do you think? Have you used Zapd yet? I’d love your feedback, leave me a comment below!

Katie Lance, Social Media Director, Inman News, @katielance

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Do you have an iPad? If you do like me, you probably have already discovered Flipboard – the world’s first social magazine app. I love Flipboard!

If you haven’t seen it yet, Flipboard allows users to compile their own personal publication by selecting and importing Twitter feeds, Facebook profiles and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds of their favorite websites.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate today announced yesterday that its twitter feed – @bhgrealestate – is featured content in the Business & Finance category of Flipboard .  @bhgrealestate was chosen for its “timely, informative news and interesting curation” according to editors of the popular iPad application.  What is really exciting about this is that Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate is currently the only real estate franchise featured in the Business and Finance category comprised of top business magazines, news wire services and thought leaders including Fast Company, CNN Money, Fortune, The Economist and Inc.

I added the @@bhgrealestate into my Flipboard and was really pleased with the content. Here are two screenshots from their app:

“Delivering timely information to the informed consumer and the next generation broker is especially important in this challenging market,” said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC.  “Technology has always been core to our brand.  In particular, our social media strategy has continuously spurred new thinking and ideas with people who share a passion for the home, real estate and the lifestyle aspirations our brand stands for.  We are proud that our leading content is featured on Flipboard, an innovative technology that is a favorite among our brokers, clients and fans.”

The @bhgrealestate feed features news and opinions on housing, culture, and social and digital technology from the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate executive team.

Personally, I think this is an super smart and strategic marketing move by BH & G Real Estate. They keep staying one step ahead of the curve!

It is available here in the Apple iTunes App store.

Written by: Katie Lance, Social Media Director, Inman News, @katielance

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Note: I received this press release this week and thought it was interesting technology to share with our FOREM readers. I’d love your thoughts on this app if you’ve used it – please leave me a comment below. – Katie

OKLAHOMA CITY –  a la mode, a leader in real estate technology, today released its popular DaVinci appraisal app in the Android Market.

The free labs release of DaVinci for Android follows in the footsteps of a long line of time-saving data gathering and sketching products in the DaVinci family, including DaVinci for iPad, DaVinci for iPhone, DaVinci for Desktop and DaVinci for Tablet PC.

“DaVinci has really made a splash on iOS devices, reaching more than 100,000 users this month, and we wanted to give more appraisers the opportunity to easily gather data in the field,” said Product Manager Dale Spoonemore. “Since releasing DaVinci for iPad a year ago, we’ve received a ton of requests from appraisers using Android devices, so we’ve designed a version of DaVinci that uses some of Android’s more popular features like talk-to-type text input.”

Like others in the DaVinci family, DaVinci for Android was born from a la mode labs – a research and development environment designed for collaboration on new applications.  By releasing new technology through the labs, a la mode gives appraisers a chance to try its newest releases and provide feedback on tools which are critical to their business.

DaVinci for Android works on any Smartphone or tablet device running Android 2.1 or later.  Like its mobile predecessors, DaVinci for Android offers appraisers all the fields they need to gather property data on site, create QuickLists that speed data entry by eliminating repetitive retyping, take voice and text notes, and add photos.

“DaVinci for Android speeds up appraisers’ turn times on home inspections. They can fill out an entire 1004 form by simply tapping on the screen,” Spoonemore said. “And, we’ll save them even more time when we release the sketcher in an update later this year.”

DaVinci for Android can now be downloaded in the Android Market. For more information, visit www.alamode.com/Labs/projects/DaVinciForAndroid.

Posted by: Katie Lance, Social Media Director, Inman News, @katielance

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The more I use my iPad, the more I see how valuable it is for real estate agents.

In addition to the “cool factor” – there are tons of great productivity tools for real estate agents and brokers. Not only that, but using an iPad in the field eliminates the need to lug around a laptop – making your job much easier!

Here are my top 5 must-have iPad apps for real estate agents:

1. Keynote – This is a must for all real estate professionals. It is $9.99 but well worth it. Think of Keynote as PowerPoint, but so much easier and more intuitive to use. This is the perfect tool for creating a simple and very slick listing presentation. Don’t want to use Keynote because you love PowerPoint? Download Documents on the Go – the only app available to edit PowerPoint files (also $9.99.)

2. Open Home Pro - This is a fantastic free tool for open houses. No more open house register needed! Simply tap the app, enter the basic details of the listing, and you are ready to go. Once you have buyers come in, they simply sign in with their name, email and any other pertitant info. You can add notes too. After they have entered their info, the screen reads “Please hand the iPad back to your real estate agent.” Love it!

3. Dropbox – Dropbox is the easiest way to store, sync, and, share files online. There’s no complicated interface to learn. This is the easiest way to transfer files from your desktop or laptop to your iPad. This free app is must-have for any real estate agent.

4. GoodReader for iPad ($4.99), iAnnotate PDF ($9.99) and PDF Expert for iPad ($9.99) – All of these apps allow you to annotate PDF’s in a variety of ways. You an edit text, move notes with your finger, draw, and add a personalized signature and so much more. iAnnotate PDF and PDF Expert for iPad support VGA-out, so you can share your work on the big screen if needed.

5. DocuSign – This free app is simply a must for any real estate agent. Send, track and sign documents anytime and anyplace. View real-time business document status so that you instantly know what is completed and what still needs your attention. Create, tag and modify documents for e-signature.

What are your favorite iPad apps for real estate? I’d love to hear your experience using any of these apps. Leave me a comment below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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I am so in love my my shiny new iPad2 that I’ve gone a little app-crazy. One of the newest apps just introduced to me is Keyoobi. At first glance, although not a real estate app, this app seems to be made for real estate agents. More often than not, so much of an agent’s day is spent in the car!

Keyoobi is the first iPad application that lets users see their day’s appointments as a route using Google Maps.  It shows users the amount of travel time they’ll have between appointments, displays the best route to get there, and identifies clients or prospects in the vicinity that may be scheduled in along the way.

(Can’t view the video? Click here)

Keyoobi will:

• Integrate with Contacts, Calendar and Maps
• Work for Enterprise users who synch their calendar and contacts with Exchange servers or Gmail
• Display appointment times and Color code routes based on travel time and appointment time
• Group Contacts with customizable pins and categories that are shown on the route map
• Route your next appointment in real time based on current location.

As a real estate agent – I could see using this to plan out appointments with clients, to plan a route for Broker’s Tour or even to plan a route for taking clients out to view property.I also really like that it maps your route most effectively – saving you time. Who doesn’t like to save time?!

Keyoobi retails for $9.99 and is available for download now in the App Store.

I’d love your opinion about this app – leave me a comment below. What other apps are your must-haves?

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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Guest blog post by Scott Falbo of Front9 Technologies is the developer of ‘iClient for Real Estate Agents.

The iPad has revolutionized the way that many people go about their daily lives – both personally and professionally.  In the business world – cases of doctors, teachers, attorneys, and many other professionals using the iPad have been well documented.  The real estate profession is no different and real estate agents can realize many of the benefits offered by the iPad.

The iPad comes out of the box with many apps that real estate agents can utilize to work more effectively.  With ‘Mail’ you can be in constant contact with your clients and others.  ‘Calendar’ will help you manage your busy schedule.  ‘Contacts’ will give you a way to store all of your important contact information.  ‘Maps’ will give you directions when you’re traveling from one meeting to the next.  ‘Safari’ will give you instant access to the Internet no matter where you are (assuming you have an iPad that supports 3G access and you’ve purchased a data plan).

The release of the iPad 2 today, also introduces the ‘FaceTime’ app for the iPad that will let you make face-to-face calls directly from the iPad.  This can be a great app for real estate agents.  Imagine the power of a showing a client a property from your iPad because their schedule doesn’t allow them travel to the property.  The ‘cool factor’ alone will be a great way to wow clients.

Apple has also released their ‘iWork’ suite of applications for the iPad as three separate iPad apps.  ‘Keynote’ will give you the ability to create presentations for clients.  The ease of use and the great slide transitions in the app will really wow your clients.  ‘Numbers’ can be used to create spreadsheets like mortgage calculators that help when discussing costs with your clients.  Finally, ‘Pages’ is a very helpful word processing app that can be used to write up documents.

Other app developers have also created apps that can be downloaded and used by real estate agents:

• ‘Dropbox’ is a great app that you can use to sync files between your computer and your iPad for essential file access on the go.  ‘Dropbox’ will also allow you to email links to documents rather than emailing very large attachments.
• ‘GoodReader’ is a great app for reading PDFs that also allows you to download PDFs directly from the Internet and into the app.  You can markup the PDF if you’d like and easily share it with a client.
• If you’d like to just jot down some quick notes for yourself ‘Penultimate’ is a great app.  Using your finger or a stylus you can take some quick notes without using the keyboard.

‘iClient for Real Estate Agents’ is a new app that has been designed to help real estate agents manage their client list from their iPad.  With ‘iClient’ you begin by entering basic information about your client.  Once your client has been added to the app, you enter information about their transactions.  For instance, you enter the date (or anticipated date) of the transaction and whether it is a purchase or a sale.  This will allow an agent to keep a historical record of all transactions that a client has made and establish trends over time.

Each transaction provides the ability to add specific information about the transaction: You can enter details about all Properties potentially involved including address, price, MLS number, your client’s feelings regarding the property, and a map (screenshot below).  With the release of the iPad 2, ‘iClient’ will be updated to take advantage of the new cameras so that pictures of the property can also be added within the app.

iClient’ also gives you the ability to create a custom Checklist for each transaction.  You can easily add all of the tasks that you need to accomplish and easily check them off as they are completed.  Since every transaction is different and has unique needs, this feature is fully customizable so you can add any items that you need and reorganize them as you see fit.  You can also email this Checklist directly from the app if you need to send it to an associate or if your client is curious about the progress on their transaction.

The Schedule feature will let you add appointments and reminders that can also be synced with any calendar on your iPad so that you can share them with your associates or clients.  Does your client absolutely need a two-car garage and two bathrooms in their prospective purchase?  Use the Notes page available for each transaction so you can remember these specific details.  All of this information can also be protected with the optional password feature.  If you set a password in the app, no one else can open the app without putting in the 4-digit combination that you’ve set.

FOREM fans – special offer: If you’d like to try ‘iClient’ you can use any of the codes below for a free copy of the app.  Once a code is used though it will no longer be active so these are first come, first servce.

THTTRWAMLXPP
N4R36LR64EEX
YTY43RE6FJAF
H9E74KP7FK44
XMAYYLJJLRR7
TA7NWFTH7TMX
RMTF9KP3PFKJ
WJW6TT3WNHPM
4TH7EYXPWP3E
KPYNR9RKJFHX

The iPad is becoming more and more ubiquitous in our daily lives and new apps are being released every day.  It’s an exciting time to see how this device is changing the way we work and the release of the iPad 2 will bring about the release of even more innovative apps that take advantage of the great features of the device.  It will be interesting to see what new apps are released for the real estate professional.

About the author: Scott Falbo of Front9 Technologies is the developer of ‘iClient for Real Estate Agents’ and other apps for professionals including ‘iJuror’ and ‘iClient for Attorneys’.  You can follow Scott on Twitter @front9tech.

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I just downloaded one of the coolest and latest real estate apps on the iPad – the new “House of the Day” app from The Wall Street Journal. Just released this week, this app is based on the popular “House of the Day” feature from WSJ.com, in which readers can peak inside breathtaking houses all across the country.

What I love most about this app is that it is sleek, features gorgeous full-screen photos and minimal text. At first glance, the app features a variety of luxury homes from the beaches of Santa Monica, to the snowy ski slopes in Aspen, and the lavish apartments in Manhattan. In the coming weeks, dedicated sections for homes in NYC, Europe, and Asia will also be added.

According to WSJ.com, the app features included:

• Homes with vivid slideshows for a close and inside look at architecture, landscaping and design details
• Share the latest houses on Facebook and Twitter or email photos to friends
• Save images to the photos folder on the iPad or within the app

You can download the app from the iTunes store here >>

The big question I’m sure every real estate agent is asking is, “How do I get my listing on here?” I have checked with their media kit and have contacted several different sources at the WSJ and have yet to receive an answer. I t would only make sens to me that they would monetize this as an ad product. As soon as I know the pricing and process I will post it here.

Have you downloaded this yet app yet? What do you think? Leave me your feedback below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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Guest blog post by 
Jill Mayer from Lyman PR, jill@lymanpr.com, @Jill_Mayer

Note: FOREM fans, I am always on the lookout for technology that will make your life easier and be able to service your clients the best way possible. I came across SugarSync and asked Jill Mayer, from Lyman PR, to write a guest blog post about it!

Realtors are always on the move – whether it’s showing a house, checking out a listing or networking with peers and clients.

Life on-the-go can be difficult, especially if a client, colleague or title company calls and needs a document ASAP that may be stored on your desktop, but you just don’t have the time to make the trip back to the office before your next appointment.

That’s where SugarSync comes in.

SugarSync is a cloud-based file sync, online backup and file sharing service that enables Realtors to manage their important data, anytime, anywhere, and now from any device. SugarSync gives Realtors their own Personal Cloud where they can securely backup and instantly access all of their most important files—thousands of documents, photos and other valued content—from any device they choose. It offers a broad range of device and OS support—from laptops to BlackBerry, Android-based phones and iPhones, and today’s most popular tablets, such as the iPad and Samsung Galaxy.

Working with partners or assistants?

With SugarSync’s collaboration features, you never have worry about duplicate documents and file versions.  With the new multi-user sync feature, you can both save a client’s folder on each of your computers or devices and once a change is made to a document in the folder or a new document is added, it’s automatically updated on all users’ computers and devices.  This means you never have to worry about emailing versions back and forth hoping that you have the same updated document or folder.

Features that Realtors will love:

• Anywhere, Anytime Access – If you’ve got an Internet connection or a smart phone, you’ve got a mobile office. Wherever you go, your files will be with you.
• Sync Without Limits – With SugarSync, you can sync as many computers and mobile devices as you want on a single account — and changes saved on one computer are instantaneously synced among the rest.
• Secure, Automatic Data Protection – As you work, your files are continuously backed up to your secure, personal SugarSync website using SSL encryption. Once in the servers, all data is then encrypted with 128-bit AES.
• Seamless Collaboration – Easily send files of any size to anyone, from anywhere. And you decide whether you’d like to password protect the information and whether the recipient can only review or can edit the files.
• File Versioning – Have you ever saved over a document and immediately wished you hadn’t? SugarSync will save, sync and back up the five latest versions of any given file —automatically. In a tough spot, it can be a real lifesaver.
• Mobile Support – SugarSync is compatible with Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android-based devices, Blackberry, Symbian and WinMo

Special Offer for FOREM fans!

• Those interested in setting up their own Personal Cloud service can get started with a free account by visiting SugarSync.com/signup.
• For persons with greater file storage needs, SugarSync offers a free 30-day trial for plans starting at 30 GB for just $4.99/month. We also offer a variety of business plans that aid SMBs of all sizes – sugarsync.com/business.

Here is a quick video to showcase how it works.  Click here to view the video >>

Questions or comments? Please leave your feedback below. Thank you!

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Get a crash course in everything you need to know about real estate technology in one six-hour day. Agent Reboot will teach you the latest in mobile technology, Facebook for business, video marketing, lifestyle branding, WordPress blogging, iPad strategies and much more!

March 9th: 8 AM – 3 PM
Washington State Convention Center

Register now >> (use code ‘WKLYHL’ to receive discount)

Check out this video that will tell you what you can expect from Agent Reboot! (click here to view)


Hear some of the best industry experts all in one day at Agent Reboot Seattle:

• Daniel Rothamel, Founder of RealEstateZebra.com, @realestatezebra
• Chris Smith, Co-Creator, Tech Savvy Agents, @techsavvyagent
• Charlie Engel, Vice President of Sales – Real Estate, Oodle, Inc, @oodle_RE
• Darin Persinger, Founder, ProductivityJunkies.com @socialcruiting
• Sherry Chris, CEO, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, @sherrychris
• Brad Andersohn, Outreach Manager, Zillow.com, @Zillow
• John Robinson, Manager, Partner Relations Zillow.com, @Zillow
• Dale Chumbley, Realtor, Prudential NW Properties, @DaleChumbley
• OB Jacobi, President, Windermere Real Estate
• Ron Sparks, Managing Vice President, Coldwell Banker Bain, @RonSparks2010

View complete program here >>

Agent Reboot is a smart investment of your time and your money. For only $49 you will walk away from Agent Reboot with strategies you can implement in your business immediately. Also, you’ll get a chance to network with some of the top agents and brokers who live and work in Washington state!

Save $50, register today and pay only $49!

Register now >> (use code ‘WKLYHL’ to receive discount)

See what people had to say about Agent Reboot last year:

“Agent Reboot was an invaluable way to encapsulate what the relevant technology trends are for the individual real estate agent today. As an owner of a brokerage, it was a no-brainer to encourage all of our agents to attend this event.”

“What a great day. In the first half hour I got my money’s worth. I’ll be at least a month processing all the information but I have already put 5 things into action. Thank you. Thank you.”

“It was up to date and informative beyond my expectations. I liked the group forum on stage and adding local experts so it doesn’t seem out of touch for the area.”

Not in the Seattle area? Check out the complete list of cities we will be at this year (24 total!)

Also, check out the latest happenings with all the Agent Reboot events on Facebook and Twitter!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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It seems like the hot topic all over the technology news channels is – “When will the new and improved version 2 of the iPad be revealed?”

According to a Wall Street Journal article today,

“The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said. It will have at least one camera on the front of the device for features like video-conferencing, but the resolution of the display will be similar to the first iPad, these people said. It will also have more memory and a more powerful graphics processor, they said.”

“The new iPad will initially be available through Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., but not Sprint Nextel Corp. or T-Mobile USA in the U.S., according to some of the people familiar with the matter.”

The big rumor swirling is that the iPad 2 is in production and be released in April 2011. Since the iPad’s release, Apple has sold 14.8 million units. The cost rumors are that it could be anywhere from $499 – $899.

So the question is – will real estate agents buy the new version of the iPad? If you have one, will you upgrade? Personally, I can’t wait for Version 2. Historically, Apple products get better and better with each generation – so hopefully, this one will be even better than the original.

It is truly amazing how the iPad has and will revolutionize so many industries – especially the real estate industry. At Real Estate Connect and Agent Reboot the rooms were full of agents taking notes, blogging, tweeting – all from their iPad. More and more agents are using the iPad in their listing presentations. Real estate professionals across North America have discovered tools like Evernote, Dropbox, Keynote and so many more that are available on the iPad and just make work faster, simpler, and more fun!

Want more of the Apple iPad rumors?

Here are a few great articles that I came upon today:

Would love your feedback about the iPad – what do you love the most about it? Will you be purchasing the new one? Leave me a comment below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance

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